Carousel condiment organizer

ABSTRACT

A condiment table organizer accommodates single serving condiments, such as creamer, butter, etc. The organizer includes a base and a vertical post extending from the base. A circular condiment carousel is attached to the post at a position above the base. The carousel has a plurality of open-sided circular condiment receptacles defined in its outer periphery, each sized to accommodate an individual serving condiment. A pair of side baskets are attached to either side of the base. They are horizontally displaced from the base by a distance at least equal to the radius of the carousel so as to not interfere with the loading or removal of the condiments held by the carousel. A display card holder may also be attached to the post above the carousel. A second condiment carousel may be included on the post above the first carousel to hold additional or different condiments.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates generally to condiment organizers for usein restaurants and diners, and more particularly to a carousel condimentorganizer for use in such establishments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Partly as a result of the growing economy and partly due to theincreased numbers of families in which both spouses work, dining out hasreached an all time high. In these times of hectic schedules, dining outhas become almost as much a necessity as a luxury. Dining out providescouples and families the time to sit and enjoy each other's company andshare their activities of the day without the added stress and timepressures of the meal preparation and clean up associated with dining athome. For individuals, dining out provides the ability to consume awell-balanced meal in single serving portions without the difficultiesof leftover storage, which is often necessitated when trying to prepareonly a single serving portion of a meal at home.

[0003] With increased consumer demand comes increased competition in therestaurant industry. Discerning diners demand clean orderly service andamenities. Oftentimes, a diner's first impression of the appearance ofthe restaurant and dining area determines whether or not that diner willbecome a repeat customer for that establishment. With their hecticschedules, diners do not like to sit at a table that is cluttered in anon-organized way with the various condiments and utensils requiredduring the meal.

[0004] Recognizing the necessity of providing a clean, orderly, andorganized setting for their diners, restaurateurs utilize many types oftable organizers for the storage of the most typically used condiments,including salt and pepper, and sugar and sugar substitutes. Some tableorganizers utilized by various restaurants and diners also includestorage locations for ketchup and mustard, depending on the fare whichthey serve.

[0005] Despite the restaurateurs' apparent recognition of the need ofproviding an organized, non-cluttered dining environment for theirpatrons, and despite the fact that a majority of diners enjoy coffeewith their meals, many of whom take cream in their coffee, tableorganizers available on the market do not accommodate the organizationof such cream. Instead, many restaurants and diners simply employ asmall saucer or cup to hold several individual containers of cream forthe patron to use. Other diners and restaurants simply forego such usageof a small saucer to contain the individual servings of cream, albeit ina cluttered fashion, and simply set a few individual cream containers onthe table. This presents a very unprofessional and cluttered environmentfor the patron who must now deal with several individual creamcontainers strewn on the dining table. Such a situation decreases apatron's overall dining experience, and may well result in a lack ofrepeat business.

[0006] There exists, therefore, a need in the art for a table organizerthat accommodates the condiments used by a majority of diners, includingcream, to enhance their dining experience and maximize the possibilityof repeat business by providing a clean, organized, and uncluttereddining environment.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention toprovide a new and improved condiment table organizer that overcomes theabove and other problems existing in the art. Specifically, it is anobject of the present invention to provide a condiment table organizerthat holds in a neat and organized way individual serving condiments,e.g., coffee creamers, butter, jams and jellies, etc.

[0008] In one embodiment of the invention, a condiment table organizercomprises a base having a vertical post extending from the base. Acondiment carousel is positioned on the post vertically displaced fromthe base. This condiment carousel includes condiment receptacles sizedto accommodate an individual serving condiment. Preferably, thecondiment carousel may be rotated on the post. The organizer may alsoinclude a display card holder attached to the vertical post above thecondiment carousel. A pair of condiment side baskets may also be affixedin a spaced relation on either side of the base. At least one of thecondiment side baskets includes a divider wall that forms two condimentstorage areas within the basket. Preferably, the divider wall ispositioned within the condiment side basket to form two condimentstorage areas of unequal size.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, the condiment carousel has a circularouter periphery, and each of the condiment receptacles is circular. Theyare positioned about the circular outer periphery at a position tointersect the outer periphery, thereby forming an open-sided condimentreceptacle. Alternatively, each of the condiment receptacles isrectangular and positioned about the circular outer periphery tointersect the outer periphery to form an open-sided condimentreceptacle. In another embodiment, the condiment carousel is formed as aplurality of outward-facing open sided circular condiment receptaclespositioned about a central point to form a circular outer periphery.Preferably, the condiment carousel further comprises a diametric supportmember having a central hub sized to accommodate the post.

[0010] In a further embodiment, the organizer further comprises a secondcondiment carousel positioned on the post vertically displaced from thefirst condiment carousel. This second condiment carousel also includescondiment receptacles, each sized to accommodate an individual servingcondiment. Preferably, each of the condiment carousels are rotatablypositioned on the post.

[0011] In an alternate embodiment, a condiment table organizer,comprises a base having a vertical post, and a circular condimentcarousel attached to the vertical post at a position verticallydisplaced from the base. This condiment carousel has a number ofopen-sided circular condiment receptacles defined in its outerperiphery. Preferably, the organizer further comprises a pair of sidebaskets attached to either side of the base. The side baskets arehorizontally displaced from the base by a distance at leastapproximately equal to a radius of the circular condiment carousel. Eachof the side baskets has a width sized to accommodate a width of a singleserving sweetener package. Preferably, each of the open-sided circularcondiment receptacles has a diameter sized to accommodate a singleserving creamer container.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the organizer further comprises asecond circular condiment carousel attached to the vertical post at aposition vertically displaced from the first circular condimentcarousel. This condiment carousel has a number of open-sided rectangularcondiment receptacles defined in its outer periphery. Each of theopen-sided rectangular condiment receptacles is dimensioned toaccommodate a single serving butter container. Preferably, the condimentcarousel is rotatable about the post.

[0013] In yet a further embodiment, a condiment table organizercomprises a base having a vertical post extending therefrom and acircular condiment carousel attached to the vertical post at a positionvertically displaced from the base. This condiment carousel has aplurality of open-sided circular condiment receptacles defined in itsouter periphery, each of which is sized to accommodate an individualserving condiment. A pair of side baskets are attached to either side ofthe base and are horizontally displaced from it by a distance at leastapproximately equal to the radius of the circular condiment carousel.The organizer also includes a display card holder attached to thevertical post above the condiment carousel.

[0014] Other objectives and advantages of the invention will become moreapparent from the following detailed description when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part ofthe specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention,and together with the description serve to explain the principles of theinvention. In the drawings:

[0016]FIG. 1 is an isometric illustration of an embodiment of a tablecondiment organizer constructed in accordance with the teachings of thepresent invention;

[0017]FIG. 2 is an isometric illustration of an alternate embodiment ofa table condiment organizer constructed in accordance with the teachingsof the present invention;

[0018]FIG. 3 is a top view illustration of the condiment table organizerillustrated in FIG. 1;

[0019]FIG. 4 is a top view illustration of an embodiment of a condimentcarousel constructed in accordance with the teachings of the presentinvention;

[0020]FIG. 5 is a top view illustration of an alternate embodiment of acondiment carousel constructed in accordance with the teachings of thepresent invention;

[0021]FIG. 6 is an isometric illustration of a further alternateembodiment of a condiment table organizer constructed in accordance withthe teachings of the present invention; and

[0022]FIG. 7 is an isometric illustration of yet a further embodiment ofa condiment table organizer constructed in accordance with the teachingsof the present invention.

[0023] While the invention will be described in connection with certainpreferred embodiments, there is no intent to limit it to thoseembodiments. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives,modifications and equivalents as included within the spirit and scope ofthe invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] A table condiment organizer 10 constructed in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention is illustrated in isometric form inFIG. 1. This organizer 10 may be placed on countertops and tables toplace such individual condiments such as cream, sugar, jams and jellies,butter, etc. and such other condiments such as salt and pepper withinthe customer's reach. This organizer 10 offers the items in a neat andcompact arrangement that assures the user that the restaurant or dinercares how the food is prepared and presented. By using this organizer10, a restaurant or diner may reduce the clutter which often resultsfrom the provision of individual creamer containers 38 that are, asdescribed above, often simply strewn on a table or randomly placed in asmall saucer for use by the patron.

[0025] In accordance with the present invention, the organizer 10includes a base 12 from which a vertical rod or shaft 14 extends. Acondiment carousel 16 is positioned on the post 14 at a positionvertically displaced above the base 12. In this way, individual servingcondiments, such as individual coffee creamer containers 38 may be heldby the condiment carousel 16 within individual condiment receptacles 18without interfering with the base 12. A display card or placard holder20 may also be included with the organizer 10 by positioning it on thepost 14 above the condiment carousel 16. This display card holder 12 maytake various forms, and functions to hold advertisements, menu items, orother placards or display cards as desired by the restaurant or diner.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the organizer10 includes condiment side baskets 22, 24 that are horizontallydisplaced on either side of the base 12 at a distance at leastapproximately equal to the radius of the condiment carousel 16 so as tonot interfere with the individual serving condiments held in thecondiment receptacles 18. The side baskets 22, 24 preferably include adivider wall 26, 28 that divides the side baskets 22, 24 into twoseparated compartments. The divider walls may be oriented as illustratedin FIG. 1 (26, 28), or may be oriented as illustrated in FIG. 2 (26′,28′). These compartments may be of equal size, or may be of unequal sizeto accommodate different types of condiments. For example, a frontportion of the side baskets 22, 24 may be used to hold individual sugarand artificial sweetener packets stacked upright, one behind the other,while the back portion of the side baskets 22, 24 may be used to storesalt and pepper shakers. To enhance the orderly nature of the condimentstorage, the side baskets 22, 24 are preferably of a width approximatelyequal to the width of a standard individual sugar or artificialsweetener package. In one embodiment, this width is set to approximatelytwo inches. Likewise, the height of the side baskets 22, 24 are sized toaccommodate the individual sugar and artificial sweetener packages in anorderly fashion, preferably allowing at least a portion of theseindividual serving size sugar and sweetener packages to extendvertically above the sidewall of the side baskets 22, 24 to aid inproper selection of the desired sweetener.

[0027] As may be seen from the top view illustration of the organizer 10illustrated in FIG. 3, the side baskets 22, 24 do not need to be of asolid construction. Indeed, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, theside baskets 22, 24 utilize a center bottom support member 30, 32 toform the bottom support for the side baskets 22, 24. In addition toreducing the material costs of the construction of such an organizer 10,such a construction also prevents the accumulation of loose salt, sugar,sweetener, pepper, or other particulate matter that may otherwise tendto accumulate in the bottom of a side basket utilizing a solid box typeconstruction. Such a construction also prevents the accumulation of anymoisture or spilled liquids that will tend to contaminate the condimentsstored therein.

[0028] The horizontal displacement of the side baskets 22, 24 inrelation to the diameter of the circular condiment carousel 16 may alsobe seen in this FIG. 3. By positioning the side baskets 22, 24 at ahorizontal distance at least equal to a radius of the condiment carousel16, a user will not inadvertently knock off the individually packagedcondiments held by the condiment carousel 16 when retrieving theindividually packaged sugar or artificial sweetener packets from theside baskets 22, 24. As an additional feature to enhance the user'sexperience when using the organizer 10, the condiment carousel 16 may berotatable by the user to allow easier access to the individuallypackaged condiments stored in condiment receptacles 18 on the far sidefrom the user. This feature is particularly useful when the display cardholder 20 is included and holding a display placard.

[0029] An embodiment of the condiment carousel 16 is illustrated in FIG.4. As may be seen from this embodiment, the condiment carousel 16 has acircular outer periphery, and each of the condiment receptacles 18 iscircular. Preferably, each of the condiment receptacles 18 is positionedabout the circular outer periphery to intersect this periphery therebyforming open-sided condiment receptacles 18. These open-sided condimentreceptacles 18 allow enhanced access to the individually packagedcondiments held in the receptacles 18. In other words, a patron is notrequired to lift out the individually packaged single serving condimentsheld in the receptacles 18. As an example of this enhanced ability toremove the individually packaged single serving condiments, assume thatthese condiments are individually packaged single servings of coffeecreamer 38 (FIGS. 1, 2). To remove a single coffee creamer, a patron maygrasp the coffee creamer and pull horizontally outward to remove it fromits receptacle 18. While the present invention contemplates utilizingcondiment receptacles that are closed, such requires that the individualcondiments be lifted out of their receptacle, which may not be as easyfor some patrons. To allow mounting of the condiment carousel on thepost 14 (illustrated in FIG. 1), the condiment carousel 16 also includesa diametric support member 34 having a central hub 36 sized toaccommodate the post.

[0030] Additionally, while the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 isparticularly well suited for holding individual coffee creamers in thereceptacles 18, one skilled in the art will recognize from the aboveteachings that these receptacles 18 may take other forms. For example,FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of the condiment carousel 16′ havingrectangular receptacles 18′ in shape to hold different types ofindividually packaged single serving condiments such as jams andjellies, butter, etc. With each of these alternate embodiments, however,it is preferred that the receptacles be positioned about the outerperiphery of the condiment carousel 16 such to intersect this peripheryforming open-sided condiment receptacles. To reduce material costs, thecondiment carousel may be formed as a plurality of outward facingopen-sided circular condiment receptacles positioned about a centralpoint to form the circular outer periphery. To allow mounting of thecondiment carousel on the post 14 (illustrated in FIG. 1), the condimentcarousel 16′ also includes a diametric support member 34′ having acentral hub 36′ sized to accommodate the post.

[0031] As discussed briefly above, the individual condiment receptacles18 are sized to accommodate an individual serving condiment. In apreferred embodiment the individual serving condiment is a standardsingle serving coffee creamer container 38 (see FIGS. 1, 2). Theseindividual creamer containers vary somewhat in diameter, typicallybetween approximately 1″ and 1¼″, and include a top lip extendingtypically {fraction (1/16)}″ to ⅛″ from the container, although thesemay very by particular vendor. As such, the diameter of the condimentreceptacles 18 may vary between approximately 1{fraction (1/16)}″ and1⅜″ and is preferably set to a diameter of approximately 1⅛″. In thisway, individual creamer containers from various manufacturers may beproperly supported in the condiment receptacle 18 of the condimentcarousel 16. Other dimensions may be appropriate to accommodate othersingle serving condiments such as butter, jams and jellies, honey, etc.One skilled in the art will recognize from these teachings, that suchalternate embodiments of the condiment carousel 16 are within the scopeof the present invention. Indeed, an advantage of the present inventionis the ability to replace or change one condiment carousel adapted tohold one type of condiment with another as desired.

[0032] This interchangability extends not only to replacing or changingcondiment carousels 16, but also to the addition of condiment carouselsas illustrated by the organizer 10 of FIG. 6. As may be seen from thisillustration, a second condiment carousel 16″ is positioned on the post14 vertically above the first condiment carousel 16. The spacing betweenthe two condiment carousels 16, 16″ is determined by the types ofindividual serving condiments held by each. Preferably, these twocondiment carousels 16, 16″, are displaced by a minimum of 2″ so as tonot interfere with the condiments stored on one carousel when removingthose stored on the other. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, thecondiment carousel 16 is adapted to hold individual coffee creamercontainers, while the second condiment carousel 38 is adapted to holdindividual butter containers. As with the previous embodimentsdiscussed, these condiment carousels 16, 16″ may be rotatable on thepost 14 to enhance the ability of the user to retrieve condiments storedon the far side from the user.

[0033] In the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 6,the organizer 10 can accommodate approximately 59 condiments in anorderly, neat, and attractive table setting that may even serve as acenterpiece for a guest dining table. In this embodiment, the organizermay hold 8 coffee creamers, 8 butter cubes, 2 salt and pepper shakers,20 individual sugar packs, 20 individual artificial sweetener packs, and1 card or placard. Alternatively, 16 creamers may be held with 2carousels adapted hold creamers. The use of the organizer 10 of thepresent invention allows nearly 60 items to be contained in oneconvenient functional fixture, which lets the patrons know that theowner is concerned about their table setting for the patrons' diningpleasure.

[0034]FIG. 7 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the presentinvention utilizing a side basket support member 40 as the base of theorganizer 10. This more spartan embodiment of the organizer 10 furtherreduces the material costs by eliminating the more aesthetically ornatebase 12 of the prior embodiment. To provide support for the verticalpost 14 and the condiment carousel 16, a post footer 42 may be sized andconfigured to contact the table on which the organizer 10 is placed sothat, an association with the legs 44, 46 of the side baskets 22, 24,supports the organizer 10 in a stable manner.

[0035] The foregoing description of various embodiments of the inventionhas been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It isnot intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the preciseembodiments disclosed. Numerous modifications or variations are possiblein light of the above teachings. The embodiments discussed were chosenand described to provide the best illustration of the principles of theinvention and its practical application to thereby enable one ofordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in variousembodiments and with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations arewithin the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claimswhen interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they arefairly, legally, and equitably entitled.

What is claimed is:
 1. A condiment table organizer, comprising a basehaving a vertical post extending therefrom, and a condiment carouselpositioned on said post vertically displaced from said base, saidcondiment carousel defining therein a plurality of condimentreceptacles, each condiment receptacle sized to accommodate anindividual serving condiment.
 2. The organizer of claim 1, wherein saidcondiment carousel is rotatably positioned on said post.
 3. Theorganizer of claim 2, further comprising a display card holder attachedto said vertical post and extending vertically above said condimentcarousel.
 4. The organizer of claim 2, further comprising a pair ofcondiment side baskets affixed in spaced relation on either side of saidbase.
 5. The organizer of claim 4, wherein at least one of saidcondiment side baskets includes a divider wall positioned thereinforming two condiment storage areas.
 6. The organizer of claim 5,wherein said divider wall is positioned within said condiment sidebasket to form two condiment storage areas of unequal size.
 7. Theorganizer of claim 1, wherein said condiment carousel has a circularouter periphery, and wherein each of said condiment receptacles iscircular and positioned about said circular outer periphery to intersectsaid outer periphery thereby forming an open-sided condiment receptacle.8. The organizer of claim 1, wherein said condiment carousel has acircular outer periphery, and wherein each of said condiment receptaclesis rectangular and positioned about said circular outer periphery tointersect said outer periphery thereby forming an open-sided condimentreceptacle.
 9. The organizer of claim 1, wherein said condiment carouselis formed as a plurality of outward-facing open sided circular condimentreceptacles positioned about a central point to form a circular outerperiphery.
 10. The organizer of claim 9, wherein said condiment carouselfurther comprises a diametric support member having a central hub sizedto accommodate said post.
 11. The organizer of claim 1, furthercomprising a second condiment carousel positioned on said postvertically displaced from said first condiment carousel, said secondcondiment carousel defining therein a plurality of condimentreceptacles, each condiment receptacle sized to accommodate anindividual serving condiment.
 12. The organizer of claim 1 1, whereineach of said condiment carousels are rotatably positioned on said post.13. A condiment table organizer, comprising: a base having a verticalpost extending therefrom; and a circular condiment carousel attached tosaid vertical post at a position vertically displaced from said base,said condiment carousel having a plurality of open-sided circularcondiment receptacles defined in an outer periphery thereof.
 14. Theorganizer of claim 13, further comprising a pair of side basketsattached to either side of said base and horizontally displacedtherefrom by a distance at least approximately equal to a radius of saidcircular condiment carousel.
 15. The organizer of claim 14, wherein eachof said side baskets have a width sized to accommodate a width of asingle serving sweetener package.
 16. The organizer of claim 13, whereineach of said open-sided circular condiment receptacles has a diametersized to accommodate a single serving creamer container.
 17. Theorganizer of claim 13, further comprising a second circular condimentcarousel attached to said vertical post at a position verticallydisplaced from said first circular condiment carousel, said secondcircular condiment carousel having a plurality of open-sided rectangularcondiment receptacles defined in an outer periphery thereof.
 18. Theorganizer of claim 17, wherein each of said open-sided rectangularcondiment receptacles is dimensioned to accommodate a single servingbutter container.
 19. The organizer of claim 13, wherein said condimentcarousel is rotatable about said post.
 20. A condiment table organizer,comprising: a base having a vertical post extending therefrom; acircular condiment carousel attached to said vertical post at a positionvertically displaced from said base, said condiment carousel having aplurality of open-sided circular condiment receptacles defined in anouter periphery thereof, each open-sided circular condiment receptaclesized to accommodate an individual serving condiment; a pair of sidebaskets attached to either side of said base and horizontally displacedtherefrom by a distance at least approximately equal to a radius of saidcircular condiment carousel; and a display card holder attached to saidvertical post and extending vertically above said condiment carousel.